Whenever the Duke was away from the mansion, Biare would secretly enter his study to search for clues related to the imperial family.

However, it was unlikely that the meticulous Duke would keep any suspicious items in his study within the mansion.

As someone who disliked being caught, he wouldn’t even keep a single confidential document in his study.

‘Gaizen probably already knows the location.’

Her brother didn’t want Biare to get close to the family’s truth, so asking him would yield no results.

‘Then, a place where father might hide…’

“Could it really be the Cheilo Merchant Guild?”

In his absence, while the study doors in the mansion were open, only the office of the Cheilo Merchant Guild remained locked, Biare suddenly realized.

“My goodness, why didn’t I think of that?”

One of the spaces she couldn’t freely enter, one of her father’s private spaces, was precisely Fredick Ruschef’s merchant guild office.

‘Surely today must be the day for thorough cleaning.’

Biare hurriedly put on her coat and headed to the Cheilo Merchant Guild, her workplace.

Upon arriving at the guild, as she expected, the employees were busy cleaning.

One of the managers who spotted Biare approached her, tilting his head slightly in puzzlement.

“Young lady, isn’t today not your work day?”

“Yes, I left some documents at the guild. Where are the two of them?”

“The Duke and the young Duke are out for a moment.”

“I see, go back to your work.”

As he returned to his post, Biare pretended to head to her office and moved upstairs.

Walking while receiving greetings from the servants to avoid suspicion, Biare slightly turned her head to look at the door beyond.

The largest room in the vast second-floor corridor was the Duke’s private office.

Judging by the gap in the door, it seemed the study’s lock was undone.

The only way to sneak in would be when the Duke’s personal attendant briefly left while cleaning, Biare had to seize that moment.

However, he was still cleaning inside now.

Not knowing when the Duke and Gaizen would return, Biare had to hurry, so she calmed her anxious heart and waited for the right moment.

‘Now’s the time.’

Not long after, the attendant came out of the Duke’s study carrying a flowerpot to water it.

Since the distance from the office to the water fountain was quite far, she could buy some time.

Biare quickly entered the study, avoiding his eyes.

‘Where on earth could it be?’

She hadn’t paid much attention to his office before, only visiting for work-related document signings.

Biare thought hard about where he might have hidden important documents or items and eagerly searched likely places.

The desk was neatly organized without any clutter, nothing particularly eye-catching.

The drawers were the same, and just as she was about to turn back with a disappointed expression.

As she took a step, a sound that was not heavy but rather hollow came from beneath her feet.

When she stepped on it again, a deep space could be seen between the gaps in the floorboards.

‘Could father…’

Biare quickly looked around and began to swiftly examine the confidential documents and ledgers inside one by one.

However, they were just ordinary bundles of documents, neither special nor strange, and not particularly noticeable.

‘Should I consider this fortunate…’

She had been anxious all along, wondering if her father might be more deeply involved with the imperial family, and now she let out a sigh of relief.

As she pulled out the last bundle of documents, a safe caught her eye in the empty space, and Biare’s heart sank.

‘If all of these were fake, could the real ones be inside there?’

Unable to open the safe that was securely locked with a special device, she tried to suppress her complicated feelings and quickly tidy up when.

The sound of the Duke and Gaizen’s conversation echoing from the first floor, and someone’s approaching footsteps made Biare almost choke with surprise.

She hurried towards the door to leave the office, but the Duke’s attendant was already approaching.

She bit her lip and looked for a place to hide, but there was no such space anywhere.

‘Then the only option left is…’

Outside the window. This was the only place where Biare could escape without being caught.

She climbed over the window left open for cleaning with trembling body and stood on the ledge between floors.

‘Mother, please help me.’

Biare, who had earnestly prayed not to be caught and to pass through safely, held her breath fearing her pounding heartbeat might leak out.

In the office, the attendant who had diligently finished his work returned and found the Duke who had just arrived, and showed his respects.

“You’ve arrived, Your Grace.”

“Yes, is the cleaning all done?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then you may go… Wait.”

“Is something the matter?”

“Did a rat get in or something?”

“Pardon? That couldn’t be…”

The Duke stepped on the same spot on the floor several times with a cold expression, then looked out the window.

“I regret this incident too. You should have done better.”

The Duke turned his head back, reprimanded him, and nodded, upon which an aide quickly pulled the attendant out of the office.

“And you, go catch that rat. It probably hasn’t gone far.”

“I will obey your order.”

As his command fell, the search team began to look for the suspected person.

Biare carefully took one step at a time to get away from them, approaching the opposite railing.

However, the search team would soon find this place, and eventually, she wouldn’t be able to avoid the Duke’s suspicion.

Trying to calm her trembling arms and legs, she prepared herself mentally to jump.

‘It’s okay. I won’t die from falling from here.’

Biare closed her eyes tightly and stepped one foot into the void.

Thud― As she landed, her ankle twisted slightly, and she had to swallow a shallow groan.

In this state, it seemed impossible to run away quickly.

She thought that even though Tonio would be there if she went a little further, the search team would find her first.

A noble lady found alone with a sprained ankle on a secluded road where no carriage was parked, it was a situation suspicious enough even to herself.

‘I need to buy a little more time.’

As Biare, who had barely hidden her body in the gap of a narrow alley with her swollen ankle, was quickly racking her brain.

Someone slowly approached her, and Biare covered her mouth with one hand, which had been breathing heavily.

‘Please just pass by.’

“What are you…”

“Aren’t you Marquis?”

One of the search team members stopped someone who was approaching her.

In this critical situation, Biare’s heart pounded loudly, and it felt like all her nerves were going wild.

“I heard you joined the search team, but I see you here.”

“It’s been a while, Marquis Verdeum.”

‘Marquis Verdeum? Could it be…’

At this unexpected figure, Biare felt her breath catch for a moment.

She could barely hold back her trembling jaw, unable to close her open mouth.

“Is this person with you?”

“…Yes.”

“It seems I’ve interrupted your time. I’ll go ahead.”

Fortunately, the search team member left without even checking the face of the person behind Dension.

As only the two of them remained in the narrow alley, he slowly approached and asked as if checking Biare’s condition.

“Are you alright?”

Turning around while trembling, she felt her heart drop to her feet once again.

‘Sion… It really is you.’

He was indeed Dension Verdeum.

Over the years, Biare had searched every place that held memories with him. She had even waited endlessly in places where they had been together on the days they shared.

Nevertheless, she hadn’t met him once in the past two years. Somehow, because the past had been twisted.

‘Why… did you appear only now?’

“Why on earth…”

Biare’s delicate blue-green eyes were on the verge of tears.

She tried her best to escape the blurry vision, but tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Are you hurt somewhere?”

“…Why did you help me?”

She didn’t resent him, but harsh words she didn’t mean kept coming out, just like before and now.

She just wanted to confirm once more if he might not remember her.

“You looked like you needed help. That’s all.”

However, at that calm, indifferent voice, Biare couldn’t hide her complicated expression.

When he used to call her, his voice was infinitely affectionate, but the man in front of her was cold even in his gaze.

‘It would be selfish of me to wish for your past self.’

Unable to wipe away all her tears, she barely composed her suppressed feelings and showed him respect.

“Thank you. It’s thanks to you, Marquis.”

“I’m glad I could be of help.”

Biare blankly watched his back as he left without any lingering attachment.

She wanted to call out to him right away, but now she had no reason to hold him back.

The current Dension doesn’t know her.

Although she knew his circumstances well in her head, it was beyond her ability to accept it in her heart.

“I missed you so much…”

With a tingling and numb feeling in her heart, Biare collapsed on the spot, and her eyes quickly began to moisten.

He was the one she had been waiting for so long, but she let him slip away right before her eyes without even exchanging a proper word.

Unable to promise another meeting, she had to ruminate on the brief encounter from just moments ago.

Biare stared at where he had disappeared, forgetting even the sense of time passing.

Whether it was tears that wet the ground or raindrops, tear stains were vivid at her feet.